Adventurous travel talks to inspire and entertain

Come to Pearl Harbour and meet one of its survivors, see its exciting volcanic activity,
learn how its diversity and mix of cultures means it sees itself as apart from Trump's
America, enjoy the wildlife, and learn what it's like to live in a place with a fascinating range of
history, culture and landscapes. I will show how to fish for molten lava, and bring samples.

Using my expertise as a guide to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius, I look at the fascinating stories gleaned from the
clues that litter this tempestuous landscape in one of the most densely populated, and threatened, areas of Europe.
Striking videos and images bring the past and present alive.

I worked in the national park as a ranger and explored it extensively.
This talk provides insights only available from someone
who knows the area intimately. This travel lecture features stories
of wilderness exploration, wildlife, history, and natural wonder.

In 1995 I spent over two months on this island on a wild animal conservation survey. Halfway through, the long dormant volcano decided to awake.
The excitement of catching wild animals day and night is overshadowed by the disruption caused by the volcano.
Here is an eye witness account of the first, evacuation triggering, eruption and how people coped subsequently.

Sixteen years after I witnessed the first eruptions that turned the island upside down, I returned to see how the island has changed. The people
are still just as friendly but the airport and the capital are now destroyed and two thirds of the island is now an exclusion zone.
This has caused a huge
upheaval in life and society and in this talk I share the insights I gained and compare what I found with what I left. (As featured on Radio 4's 'Excess Baggage' travel programme)

A trip around northern Canada in search of extreme wilderness yielded fun, thrills, and an appreciation of a remote way of life. Come and meet
the gold prospectors, grizzlies, police chiefs and rugged characters I met along the Alaska Highway while searching for mountain adventures.
Fly in to one of the largest ice fields in the Western Hemisphere and tackle its peaks and crevasses.

This talk follows my exploits as a leader on a youth expedition that
spent three months living in the bush surrounded by wild animals. Charged by an
elephant, attacked by hyenas, trekking for miles for water, and working out how
to keep lions at bay, I had my work cut out keeping everyone safe. And the
expedition didn't start well when I had my passport stolen in Zimbabwe and
had to smuggle myself across the border into Botswana. A recent return trip
saw me staying with local people,
where I got under the skin of a fascinating society, learned the history of an African success story
and discovered my expedition patron had been at the heart of one of the greatest
and most controverisal love stories
of the African continent.

A love of the American southwest permeates this wide ranging talk, which
delights in the wilderness and national parks of the area and also explains the
stories behind them. I have explored the area over many
years and share the history, beauty and culture of a landscape that gripped
my soul like no other.

Antarctica has gripped our imagination for
hundreds of years and in this talk I explore why it is still
important and relevant today.It is a touchstone of
environmental change and can tell us much about our past...and our
future. Geology, climate, wildlife and personal sacrifice come together
in this landscape which has inspired artists, scientists, explorers and
naturalists for generations.

Land of variety, from tropical forest to glacial peak, from deep water sperm whales to basking fur seals; bubbling mud pools, offshore
volcanoes, and amazing scenery. Beautiful natural light ensured stunning photographs. Join me on some of my treks through this land
of wonder, and participate in a police chase while in a stolen car....

My love of all things geological has taken me to Iceland as a guide and here I look at what makes this unique country
so special. The closest wilderness to Europe, abundant volcanism has created an alien planet-like wilderness where no land should be.
this creative volcanic force is still shaping and influencing the country and the talk looks at the hardships of living in such a land, and
also visits Heimaey the 'Pompeii of the North', which was nearly destroyed in the 1973 eruption.

Mt Etna is
Europe's highest active volcano and continuously active. The Aeolian Islands to the north of Sicily include Stromboli whose continual activity
has been used as a nighttime sailing beacon for over 2,000 years. Other islands in the group have varying volcanic
histories.
This talk explores the culture and
geological history of a fascinating and beautiful area.

Volcanoes have fascinated
me since before I went to university to study them. This talk looks at volcanoes I have visited around the globe
and I share some surprising insights and dramatic
photography, and explain why volcanoes are so important, exciting, and relevant to understanding our world.

An exciting and stimulating talk for a younger audience on why mountains are so special and how they are climbed.
I can bring my mountaineering equipment with me to make the session hands on and interactive.

"On behalf of the Lecture Series Committee, I would like to
thank you very much for speaking at the RDS yesterday. We had the largest
audience we have ever attracted for a travel lecture. I had some wonderful
feedback on your talk from Members as they left the room, and have had calls
from Members today telling me how much they enjoyed it. I look forward to
inviting you back to the RDS in the future."

Brooke Beales, marketing manager, Royal Dublin
Society

"Your lecture was undoubtedly one of the best we have had
this season, and we look forward eagerly to a return visit."

Susan Holmes, Guildford Travel Club

Volcano news

I returned to Montserrat to see how the island has adjusted to the
volcanic events I witnessed, and was interviewed on my return by Sandi Toksvig for Radio 4's 'Excess Baggage'
travel programme. Listen to part of it here